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Were new flexi wings really a 'waste of money'? Former team boss has a radically different say

14:55, 11 Jun

Updated: 14:56, 11 Jun

byTobia Elia

Gunther Steiner disagrees with the idea that the new technical directive imposed by the FIA on flexible wings, starting from the Spanish GP, has been a waste of money.

On the eve of the Spanish GP, many fans and insiders were expecting—or rather hoping—that the new technical directive on flexible wings, enforced starting from last weekend’s race, would lead to a shake-up in the competitive order.

In the end, however, that didn’t happen, as McLaren clearly dominated at the Montmeló circuit, both in qualifying and in the race.

McLaren's supremacy was so dominant, in fact, that Lewis Hamilton went as far as to label the new TD018 directive “a waste of money,” given the final outcome.

“It’s just wasted everyone’s money. It changed nothing'', Hamilton said after the race.

''Everyone’s wings still bend. It’s just half the bending. And everyone’s had to make new wings and spend more money to make them. It doesn’t make sense.”

SF-25's front wing

No waste of money

However, speaking on the Red Flags podcast, former Haas team principal Günther Steiner disagreed with the British driver's view on the matter: “This flexi wing is the same for everyone. Lewis came out with the comment that all this money was wasted on doing this and stuff like this''.

''There was no money wasted. Everybody went in to develop this one, because you have to make sure that your wing is not flexing''.

“I read somewhere that McLaren just put an additional bracket on the wing so it doesn’t bend [as] much anymore. So it was a very cheap fix to get rid of this flexi wing and part of it was the complaining of the other teams. They complained, but what did they gain? Nothing. They gave the McLaren more advantage.”

The Italian-American finally added: “McLaren knows exactly what they need to do with the car''.

“If they lose the flexi wing or the effect the flexi wing gives them, they go to the wind tunnel and try to replicate what they had to get the same balance on the car again. And maybe you cannot get 100 per cent there, but you get 99.8 per cent there.”